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Bill 63 tabled this morning - PQ school-tax plan "will make students pay for government cutbacks" - QESBA President

MONTREAL, Nov. 14, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - David D'Aoust, President of the
Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) lashed out at the PQ
government's draft bill deposited this morning that will remove some
$100 million from public education funding over the next two years.
Bill 63 calls for Quebec school boards outside of the island of
Montreal to reimburse school-taxpayers for that total amount,
suggesting that those school boards erred in imposing substantial
school-tax increases last summer. While the average individual rebates
will be modest, the further cut to school boards could prove very
damaging.

"Premier Pauline Marois is trying to dress this up as a credit to
over-burdened taxpayers but it's nothing of the sort," declared
D'Aoust. "Her government's first budget last November cut funds to
public education in a major way, and then set up school boards as the
villains by allowing us to raise school taxes to recover at least part
of those cuts. Well, we understand how difficult the current economic
context is but it is also very difficult for our school boards, who
have, over the past few years, made enormous financial sacrifices to
help balance the provincial deficit. That said, our school boards also
know that their primary responsibility is to protect quality
educational services to our students across the province. That's why we
had no choice but to raise school taxes to maintain those services. Our
school boards are constantly seeking greater efficiencies so that we
can concentrate funds on the classroom. Taxpayers might eventually
regret the Premier's alleged largesse; it will come with a price to be
paid by our students, and that it terribly unfair."

This controversy was the subject of two direct meetings between school
board leaders and the Premier earlier this Fall. QESBA stands by the
performance of its nine member school boards who, collectively,
maintain a ratio of administrative expenditures that tops any other
government or para-public service in the province. They do so while
producing high-school student success rates of close to 80 per cent - a
target set by government for the Year 2020. "QESBA will continue to
collaborate, as it must, with the MELS (Ministère de l'Éducation, du
Loisir et du Sport) to deliver and evaluate school programs and
services," D'Aoust added. "If we didn't have school boards in place,
how easy it would be for the government to run roughshod over our
schools and most importantly, our students! Moving forward, we trust
that we will be able to count on our government partners to put
students first - a principle that has been left behind with this bill."

D'Aoust also reacted with little enthusiasm to Education Minister Marie
Malavoy's appointment today of a "groupe d'experts" with a wide-ranging
mandate to examine the over-all funding, administration, management and
governance of school boards. QESBA's suggestion that the Association be
part of the group was summarily rejected by the Premier during those
Fall meetings. "I find this profoundly disappointing," D'Aoust added.
"This government is pretty much suggesting that school boards are not
doing their job, which I categorically reject. On every barometer that
matters: French second-language instruction, 21st-century learning, inclusion of all students in school life,
accountability to parents and taxpayers, we have a few lessons we could
offer government rather than the reverse. Our school boards will always
be ready to embrace positive change. It is more than a little galling
to have this government consistently suggest otherwise."

QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec representing
some 100,000 students.

SOURCE: Quebec English School Boards Association

For further information:

Kim Hamilton Director of Communications and Special Projects 514-919-3894